Angola Plans to Open Over 100 Oil and Gas Blocks to Shorten Exploration Award Cycle

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 15, Alcides Andrade, a board member of Angola's National Agency for Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels (ANPG), disclosed during an energy conference held in Cape Town, South Africa, that Angola plans to reform its exploration block award system through a 25-year oil and gas development strategy, with plans to open more than 100 oil and gas exploration blocks starting in 2027, most of which are located onshore. The regulator intends to shorten the block award cycle from the current 6 months to 3 months, and the relevant strategic plan is expected to be approved by the end of 2026.

Under the proposed strategy, Angola will adjust its current multi-year oil and gas block bidding system and shift toward a more flexible exploration rights award mechanism. The new blocks will be gradually opened to investors after the strategy is formally approved, with ANPG responsible for advancing the block award procedures and related regulatory arrangements. The exploration assets planned for opening cover both onshore and offshore oil and gas blocks, with onshore blocks predominating.

The new system will also set differentiated contract terms based on the geological and development risks of oil and gas assets. ANPG plans to distinguish between marginal fields and mature fields, as well as the different risk characteristics of onshore blocks and deepwater blocks, and determine the applicable exploration and development terms for each. The relevant contractual arrangements will be incorporated into the new oil and gas block award system.

Angola's current crude oil production is approximately 1 million barrels per day. ANPG plans to expand the scope of domestic oil and gas resource assessment by increasing exploration well drilling activities, and to align the award of new blocks with long-term oil and gas production targets. International energy companies such as TotalEnergies and Eni have committed billions of dollars in recent years to implement oil and gas projects in Angola, and the new strategy will continue the existing regulatory reforms and adjust subsequent exploration access arrangements.